


Side piece

by Anonymous



Series: Unpopular characters and rare pairings [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Everyone Has Issues, M/M, Mental Health Issues, No Whump either, No character bashing, Plotty, Post-Avengers 4, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Thanos (Marvel) Dies, Tony Stark is a Competent Individual, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-23 06:22:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14928855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Tony entered a relationship with two people who loved each other. Tony entered a relationship that had little space for him. Tony was miserable.





	1. Prologue

Tony waited until Thanos' corpse was disintegrated by Gamora and Nebula to ask to speak Steve alone. He found an empty room on the far end of T’Challa’s palace.

"What is it?" Steve was bloodied and dirty. He had his arms crossed and a mildly disapproving look on his face. Tony was tired of that look so he quickly pulled back the sleeves of his shirt and showed his wrists to Steve. Two names on each hand, in dark ink that was impossible to remove. Steve's mouth fell open.

"I got yours when you woke up but we didn't like each other at all and things were already hard enough for you with the whole losing seventy years," Tony explained. "Barnes' would come and go. I'm guessing it was because they were constantly freezing him almost to death. Again, it was kind of hard to bring it up."

"I'm confused," Steve said frowning. He removed the top half of his suit. Barnes' name was written over his heart and Tony's was curled over his right ribcage. "Why didn't you say something? I thought you were Pepper's all this time. It's what I told Bucky."

"Well, the past three years have been very unconducive-"

"We could have worked it out!” Steve exploded suddenly. His whole body was trembling. “There's so much we could- we had time, Tony. And _Bucky_ , he was so torn up because he had your name on his arm."

Tony almost shrugged but he did not want to give the idea that he didn't care. It had been hard biting his tongue. For a long time, he thought Steve would cringe away and maybe laugh at the idea of Tony and him. After Thanos, after feeling Peter turn into ashes, after holding Rhodey again for what felt like years, Tony decided he'd risk the humiliation.

"Sorry, I-"

"Didn't think," Steve finished for him. "I know we have problems, Tony, but to use this to hurt Bucky for something he had no control over? I don't know if I can forgive that."

Tony nearly told him about arguing with his father the day before his death because Barnes' name appeared on his skin and he was sure it was that Sergeant Barnes.

"I wasn't punishing anyone. There was never a right time," he said instead while covering his wrists again. 

Steve uncrossed his arms. He looked so tired and old for a moment before it was replaced by steely resolve. "I can't deal with you today or tomorrow. I don't know when but just don't show up. I'll tell Bucky. It's better he hears this from me."

"Sure," Tony said like his chest wasn't hurting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place months after they beat Thanos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to split the chapter since it was getting really long. Things start slow and escalate. I don't think I have any archive warnings to add but tell me what you think.
> 
> This work is unbeta'd and English is my third language.

It was a deliciously crisp morning, the kind that had Tony burrowing deeper into his bed despite the fact that he knew he had to get up. He remained in that state, not quite asleep or wake until one of his phones went off. Tony answered it after fumbling for a bit.

"Tony Stark," he said groggy and a little resentful. It's not often that he had a morning like this.

"Tony," Steve said. "Just calling to remind you that you promised to fix Bucky's arm. Also Wanda's been asking for an actual armored suit."

"Okay," Tony said fighting yawn. He moved his finger to end the call when Steve spoke again.

"Do you want to get lunch today? Bucky's found a Moroccan place not far from the apartment that he wanted us to try."

"Okay," Tony said again giving in and yawning and then stretching his whole body.

"Wait, were you asleep?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't mean to wake you. I'm glad you're getting some rest. You're not getting any younger."

"Thanks, Steve." 

"You're welcome. Don't forget the arm and Wanda."

Tony laid on the warm bed for a few minutes before he dragged himself to the shower. He had a whole day of work ahead of him: from the resurgence of the Accords to buying a few pounds of Vibranium to looking over new blueprints for new Stark Industries research labs dedicated to Nano technology. After Thanos died and half the universe was resurrected, Tony barely had time to take in the sight of people he was just getting to use to mourning before he hit the ground running. There was so much to do, so much to fix.  
Before noon, Barnes showed up in a hooded jacket, cradling his metallic arm. Tony smiled at him as they rode the elevator to the floor with labs. Inside was bustling with scientists on his company's payroll and the ones he paid to work on his pet projects. They found a corner to sit examine the damage.

"I know this arm doesn't hurt like the other one but you have got to stop hitting with all your strength," Tony said as he ran his hands over the dents and damaged wiring on the knuckles. He removed parts until only the forearm was left and covered the hole on the wrist tightly. "This will have to do until I fix the damage. You don't mind, do you?"

"I don't," Barnes replied quietly. "Thank you."

"It's no problem," Tony said as he pushed back to allow an intern to take the pieces. "Anything else? Another problem in the arm? A car? A motorcycle? You like those, right?"

Barnes laughed lightly. "No. I'm good."

"Are you sure? Steve told me if you have some problem talking to people. It must be hard taking taxis."

"It is," Barnes admitted and that was something. Three months ago, he would have mumbled otherwise. "But Doc says it's good for my mental health to socialize so I’ll keep taking cabs. Listen, I'm really grateful for the offer."

“It’s no problem. At all. You need anything, you ask.”

Then Barnes leaned forward, his breath hitching and his darting quickly to where everyone else was working. Tony held still as they kissed, waiting as usual to get used it. Bursts of pleasure spread from his mouth to the rest of his body. Not for the first time Tony wondered what was really behind the reaction because it wasn't dopamine and it didn't quite feel like an orgasm.

"So," he said before it could get awkward, "where's the Moroccan place?"

It was down a few blocks from the apartment Steve and Barnes shared. The food was average, greasier and less spicy than the place Tony preferred but to Barnes, it was fascinating. He listened carefully as Tony listed ingredients and sometimes cultural importance of each dish that they tried.

"I always wanted to travel the world," Barnes said wistfully. “See the cultures, eat the food. I never thought I'd get a chance."

"You can do whatever you want now," Steve said, his arm slung loosely over Barnes' shoulders.

"Remember when Denise said her father bought her Chinese food and she brought the left overs and it was just chicken with an old lemon wedge?"

"Denise was a fantastical liar," Steve explained to Tony.

"We wanted to believe her," Barnes said. "It made things fun. Do you think she's still alive?"

Before Tony offered to check, Steve said, "Doubt she'd remember us. It's almost eighty years."

"You're Captain America," Barnes pointed out. "I bet she told people you were dating."

They both laughed. Tony aimlessly picked at his bowl of tapas. 

"Hey, do you want to come back to the apartment? We hadn't seen you all week?" Steve asked while playfully nudging Bucky. Tony didn't want to. Rhodey was returning from Kentucky after two days away on a top secret briefing that he might tell Tony about. The problem was that Steve was worried about the years they had missed and was determined to make up for them.

"Sure," Tony said. "Let me make a few quick calls." 

Tony called the labs in the Tower, the compound and the new house in Malibu. He called his lawyers when he saw online that another country signed the Accords. Bruce gave him a rundown on what was found in the tiny town of Gruene, Texas. Then Tony left with the two, lagging behind as they chatted about a carnival ride that made the both of them sick in the late thirties. He sent a few messages to Pepper that really required emails but he was Tony Stark walking the streets without bodyguards. There was no way he was going into detail about the products they were going to launch.

Steve and Barnes' apartment was at the top floor of their complex. It had two bedrooms. The rest of it was one open space that was filled with odd pieces of art and furniture that didn't match. Steve insisted on buying everything using his money. As far as Tony knew, Barnes never touched the bank account Tony opened for him. The walls were painted a dark blue and the ceiling was bright red. Behind the large TV in the living room were two pairs of hands painted on. Tony kept his thoughts on that to himself. Lord knows the things he and Rhodey drew when they shared a dorm. Tony liked the couches though. He sat on them while Steve put the leftovers in the fridge and Barnes turned the TV on. 

They watched I Love Lucy reruns while Tony subtly exchanges texts and emails. After an hour he was ready to leave. Rhodey would be back any minute now and Tony wanted to be there to poke, annoy and shove things at him.

"I have to get going," he said injecting regret into his voice. Steve looked at him for the first time since all three of them sat together. He nodded and haltingly pulled Tony in for a kiss that was less chaste than the one Barnes gave Tony. It was almost lazy with his fingers brushing over Tony's cheeks and wrists. Tony pulled away, said something generically sweet and then he was gone. 

He was wrapped around Rhodey until the next day. They ordered take out, walked around the Tower while Tony explained his projects and they even slept in the same bed.

"Why do you always hog the blankets?" Rhodey said the next morning, pulling and pulling until Tony barely had any blanket left.

"If you wanted to see my legs, all you had to do was ask."

Rhodey groaned into his pillow. Eventually, Tony got ready. He wore a three piece suit because today was going to be about dealing with the Accords, Ross and the board of directors who were fighting Pepper on buying Yahoo. 

"Good luck," Rhodey murmured. "I'm staying in bed for as long as I can."

"Lunch?"

"If I wake up by then."

There were a hundred and fifty signees of the Accords, a product of the fact that they rewrote history and no one remembered anything about Thanos' first attack. Steve disapproved of Tony and Stephen’s choice to keep that a secret but there was no need for millions to get traumatised over something they already fixed. Besides more than half the world's countries wanted this. Why fight its existence when Tony could alter its mission instead? Vision came with him to the UN headquarters where the Accords committee was meeting for the rest of that year. His army of lawyers were already there and he was briefly coached for the tenth time on what to say. The meeting lasted for hours. By the end, he conceded on the matter of prisons for enhanced individuals but won the removal of mutants as threats. He had already convinced many countries to pass a resolution protecting the human rights of the mutants. He also knew that someone could sneak in something awful into the Accords.

General Ross was waiting beyond a gaggle of reporters with his aides. He was no longer working with the government but he consulted for weapons companies and was a staunch supporter of private prisons these days. 

"General," Tony greeted as he was walking by.

"Stark."

"What brings you here?"

"I am invested in the Accords if you remember."

"I know that. I'm just wondering why you're here today." It wasn't like Ross would have been allowed into the chambers, though nothing was really stopping him from talking to the members of the committee.

"Business, Stark," Ross answered. He gave Tony a sharp, unforgiving look. "I thought I was wrong about you. You walked around like the earth was built just for you but when we brought that document to you and you signed it, I thought I was wrong about you."

"I still support it."

"You don't. You're corroding it until it's meaningless. All that just to be allowed in the sandbox with the other kids."

Tony forced himself to laugh. "By your logic, shouldn't I consider the sandbox mine already? And don't beat yourself up too much. Smarter people than you have misunderstood me."

"Stark." Ross snarled.

"General." Tony grinned. 

Pepper was at a plant for a photo-shoot. As soon as Tony showed up, the cameras were put away. He greeted Pepper with a hug and brushed hair off her face.

"You look well," she said.

"You look amazing."

"All right flatterer, what are you aiming for?"

"Nothing. I know you too well to bother."

She prodded him lightly. "Are you sure you're not trying to weasel your way out of work?"

"Fewer black tie events would be appreciated but otherwise...."

They walked hand in hand through the plant, a newer one for LED screens so they wouldn't have to rely on Samsung anymore. Fifteen minutes later Tony was left alone with Pepper's assistants while she wrapped up the photo-shoot. He was in the middle of explaining to them how they were so lucky they worked for Pepper instead of him when his phone buzzed.

"Tony Stark."

"Hi." Barnes said. Tony could not help but remember how more settled he sounded the last time he saw him. "Where are you?"

"At a factory with Pepper."

"Oh. Um, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No problem. I was just regaling the highlights of my adult life to people I just met. What's up?"

"I wanted to see you," Barnes said softly. 

"You're home?"

"Not right now. I will be in a few hours."

"Text me when you get there and I'll try to make it."

Barnes let out a breath like he was holding it in. "See you then. I..."

"You?" Tony prompted.

"Never mind. I might say it when you get here."

"Right. Take care." That went well. "Where was I?"

A short redhead said, "The part where you were negotiating a merger while-"

"Oh yeah. The year was 2002 and I was really high on acid practically every day..."

Tony flew back to the Tower for a late lunch that Rhodey didn't show up to because he was in one of the labs with his suit. After that, Tony flitted between floors, not committing to anything, mostly giving instructions and stepping in a few times in case things burst into flames. For dinner he ate chicken salad while playing chess against JOCASTA. Rhodey finally joined him while Tony was working on a miniaturized arc reactor.

"You're planning on putting this inside homes?"

"That's the plan."

"For free."

"Yup."

"You're probably the only person who tries to get richer and not at the same time."

"I am an enigma."

"Need me for anything?"

Rhodey was a great rocket scientist who knew more about liquid fuel than Tony ever could. He understood machines too. Tony knew that he took apart his War Machine suit and put it back together to understand it like he understood jets. The two of them welded, tied, tore and inserted wiring, glass and insulators well into the night. Right before they slept, Tony noticed Barnes' texts.

'Sorry. I got carried away working with Rhodey. Rain check.'

The reply came immediately. 'it's fine. u r a busy man. think i can come and watch? it's boring being a recovering pow.'

'Sure. I'll show you a couple of things if you want.'

'thx. good night.'

'Sleep tight.'

Tony didn't forget that so much as put it at the back of his mind as he talked to his lawyers in India about the schools he was building. He ate lunch with his senator to finalise preparations of buying and building 10,000 houses for the homeless. At three, Tony was elbow deep in a Nano sludge that would cover the outer layer of his Rhodey's armor. 

"Boss, Barnes is looking for you."

"Show him the way."

A few minutes later, Barnes walked into the lab with FRIDAY whose hologram was wearing a ridiculously long thin robes.

"Hi," Barnes said.

"You take any of the seats over there." Tony gestured with his head. 

"Thanks," Barnes said. 

"I'm working on Rhodey's armor."

Barnes craned his head to get a better look. "It's black."

"Yeah, he wants a change in colour. It's going to be grey too. I haven't really figured out the colour scheme. I'm too busy trying to recreate that iconic bulk with nanobots."

"Oh man and I thought your dad's inventions were out of this world."

Tony pretended to pull something so he could grimace. He knew that Howard was friends with Barnes but he didn't want to hear it from Barnes.

"Howard was ahead of his time," he said finally, struck again by how difficult it was to talk to Barnes. "Let me finish up here and I'll show you something. You like vintage cars…. They're not vintage to you but...."

"I worked in a mechanics shop for a while before the draft. Always dreamt of owning a car," Barnes said. 

"You can buy one now you know that, right? There's more than enough in the account."

"I know and I'm thankful. I'll- once I get used to seeing all those zeros, maybe."

"I'll hold you to that."

Tony worked with FRIDAY as he shaped the lower half of the armor, sent data to Rhodey and Helen, and eventually disentangled himself. Barnes was watching him with naked interest, differently from the way he looked at FRIDAY and the machines that surrounded them. If this was Pepper, Tony would have winked but he had Howard's face in his mind's eye so he simply changed out of the overalls.

"Garage level four," he told Barnes. "That's where I keep the older cars that need restoring nowadays. We'll see if we can find something you remember working on."

They found a rusty Pontiac that had Barnes whistling as he appraised the car. "We had our share of these in the shop. I was saving up to buy it."

"You know how to repair rust? I'll get you what you need. If there's a problem with the engine and whatever else, I'll help you or... FRIDAY could help you."

"FRIDAY," Barnes decided. Tony was relieved. He brought safety gear, sandpaper, paint, primer, body filler material for the few holes where the rust was heaviest and lots of paper and tape.

"Once we get your hand fixed, it'll get easier."

Barnes took some sandpaper and began cutting through the rust and old paint. With his strength and inability to get tired for a long time, he would probably be done cleaning the car in hours. Tony helped him tie his hair back and put on the safety gear.

"You want to work alone?"

"I'm fine. I'll come up for dinner. Steve's at the compound with the Avengers. I don't know when he'll be back."

Not knowing what to say to that, Tony patted Barnes and left him with the car. He went back to the War Machine armor, thinking over the idea of coding the bots to change colours depending on what the wearer wanted. 

Dinner was Korean barbeque and fried chicken while watching Family Feud. Rhodey and Barnes competing to make the more accurate guess. At one point a frustrated Barnes threw a piece of chicken sticky with apricot sauce at the screen and laughed when it slid comically slow across Steve Harvey's face. Tony thought to himself in that moment that maybe he'll get used to it, having two boyfriends and holding hands with Barnes.

Three days later, Tony received a frantic call from the Compound. 

"Slow down," he ordered after failing to make sense of the panic. "What happened?"

"We were testing the Scarlet Witch's suit when she exploded and I can't wake Frank up."

"What's your name?" Tony asked though he knew.

"Issa, sir," the woman said coughing.

"Issa I need you to take in deep breaths while you check for pulse on Frank and anyone else. Can you do that for me?"

"I- I can."

"Thank you. JOCASTA initiate emergency protocols. I want the medical team on the scene and helicopters prepped. FRIDAY contact Stephen and tell him he needs to get to the Compound ASAP."

Issa came back to the phone. "Sir, they all have pulses but the breathing is erratic. It's like they're in a nightmare."

Tony tapped his arc reactor. "You're doing well. Tell me where Maximoff is," he said as the armor engulfed him.

"I don't know. I closed my eyes when I fell, I was so scared. She was gone when I opened them."

"And Captain America?"

"I don't- oh I see him."

"Tell him everything you told me. I'm coming."

He flew fast and reckless to the Compound, landing inside the west wing of the building as directed by JOCASTA. He hovered over the medical team as they wheeled out three scientists who were tossing and turning in their gurneys. Tony saw Issa who was leaning on a coworker as they walked to one of the ambulances. He landed gently beside her and pulled the armor back.

"Are you okay?"

She looked tired. "Yes, sir. Malcom is inside lab three."

"Thank you." He said sincerely. 

Malcom was the head of the department of extraterrestrial research at the Compound. These were his people that he personally hired on behalf of Tony, which was why it wasn't surprising that he was arguing with Steve near a stand where Maximoff was likely being outfitted. Steve was looming over the man. At least he knew better than to crouch in front of the wheelchair.

"Malcom," Tony said practically forcing himself between the two. "What's the damage?"

"I don't know exactly. Physically, it's fractures and bruises from the explosion but they are in an induced unconscious state that's causing them distress. I asked the Captain to have that woman undo what she did-"

"You have to allow her to come close before-"

"She assaulted unarmed scientists because _they pricked her!_ "

Tony did a double take. "What?"

"It wasn't a prick," Steve said hotly. "She was hit with electricity."

"That we warned her about! We said it was a possibility because the suit wasn't ready but you pushed-"

"We have a mission coming up. Damn it Tony. You promised me you'd make this yourself. None of this would have happened if you don't get less qualified-"

"Whoa there buddy, I promised that it would get done and none of these people are unqualified," Tony said with an edge to voice. "Look, Stephen will look everyone affected by this over and if he can't fix it, Wanda will get a chance."

Malcom huffed angrily. "Tony with all due respect we need to report this. Marlene has kids. What if this is permanent? What will I tell them? We _have_ to report this."

"You can't be serious! She reacted to pain. It wasn't premeditated. Tony-"

"Steve, let me handle this," Tony said evenly. "Go find the team and Wanda." 

Steve ground his teeth and strode out. Malcom slumped back into his chair and removed his glasses.

"It's going to be fine."

Tony had FRIDAY send the footage to Stephen. Malcom insisted on evidence being collected before the lab was closed off just in case Maximoff's magic lingered. One of the team doctors called Tony to let him know that Stephen had showed up at the hospital. Finally, when Tony could no longer put it off, he went to the team. They were in the conference room together, a video paused on the screen and an opened first aid kit between Maximoff and Sam. Tony knocked on the door before he entered.

"Stephen's at the hospital. Hopefully he'll revive them."

Steve looked as angry as Tony last saw him. "You should have made Wanda's suit."

"No offense, Steve, but I have like a hundred things I have to do. Besides, the suit was in good hands."

"How's that for good hands?" Steve pointed at Maximoff who was clasping her left hand while Sam slowly wrapped it.

"Why didn't you have someone look at that?" The back of her hand was waxy. "Seriously. FRI get someone here."

"They were screaming," Maximoff said sniffling. She was very pale and her hand was quaking. 

"They swarmed the place before I got there." Steve said. He too was trembling. "They wouldn't come with me when I said she was hurt."

"That happens when people think there's been attack," Tony explained. He could feel his patience slipping. "Why the hurry anyway? If the mission's in foreign country-"

"It's in Kentucky," Natasha cut in. "It's Hydra."

Of course. Tony looked at the screen. "FRI send that to the Tower."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Steve snarled. His skin was starting to flush and he was taunt with tension.

"Look, I think you all need to sit this one out," Tony said, adapting a tone that he would use on the Hulk. "Chances are we're going to get sued regardless of the outcome, at the very least. I think Rhodey and Stephen should handle this."

"There are too many operative. They'll get away," Natasha told him. She pulled up numbers on the screen as well as the facility they would be attacking.

"How does getting sued mean we get benched?" Sam asked. He exchanged a significant look with Steve, who grimly nodded. 

"The best thing to do is not to act like everything is normal, like people haven’t been hurt." Tony was starting to get tired. He pulled a chair and sat down. "Besides, Wanda can't fight with you, not with a third degree burn- speaking of which, FRI tell 'em to hurry- and you're the team leader who requested the suit to be made in a short amount of time. The rest of you have publicly aligned yourselves with both Steve and Wanda. That makes your actions worth scrutinising. Stay here, please. I'll get Vision to join in and, if it's not enough, I'll go there myself."

"That doesn't sound like retirement," Natasha pointed and now she was the one exchanging significant looks. "Tony, we know damn well that no matter how bad it gets, you'll fix it."

Tony steepled his finger under his chin. "People who work for me, who I'm supposed to keep safe got hurt just a few hours ago because you've been careless. All I am asking is that you sit this one out. It's not like you won't find another Hydra nest by next week."

Steve shook his head. "Not this one. Some of the assholes who built the chair they used on Bucky are there."

"Steve, the others are just as capable of-"

"You owe Bucky this! For God's sake we finally have a chance to give him justice. He was supposed to come with us but you haven't even fixed his hand."

"His hand was made with Wakandan tech from vibranium. My folks are working on it-"

"Why not you?" Steve's eyes were hard. Suddenly, Tony was so tired he was ready to leave.

"I employ the best scientists in the world."

"The best scientists burnt Wan-"

A man and a woman entered the room. "Document the damage extensively. Take her to the hospital," Tony instructed.

"Hospital?" Maximoff blanched.

"That's a third degree burn. Your nerves are damaged and you probably got the wound infected by now. Private room for Maximoff, please," he told the two E.M.T who were lightly wrapping the wound as they helped Wanda from her seat. "FRI, tell Mack to accompany Wanda to the hospital."

Steve inhaled deeply. "Sam take Wa-"

"Sam should stay away from this. Mack's great with people. She'll be fine with him. Bar- Bucky's hand will be finished tomorrow."

"How about we don't make any decisions until we see how this goes down?" Natasha said. "We'll continue to strategise and if they want to sue, we'll stay put-"

"What? No!" Steve started until he was quelled by Natasha's glare. Tony wondered if he should remind them that he was not stupid. He sighed.

"You're just going to leave regardless, aren't you?"

They didn't answer instead communicating with expressions that Tony could only understand half of.

"Tony, can we talk?" Steve said. Natasha smiled encouragingly at him.

"Privately?"

"Yeah."

Tony led Steve to the kitchens where he started brewing a fresh pot of coffee. "What's up?"

"I thought when you retired that you were going to have more time to give technical support to the team."

Tony found an idle Starkpad lying on one of the counters. "FRI load some of my projects please." Then he gave the tablet to Steve.

"These _are_ important," Steve said scrolling, "but the Avengers-"

"Are also important. It's why I'm here, Steve. I trust these people. You have to admit, rushing a suit meant to protect someone like Wanda was a mistake."

"Yes," Steve said. "I'm sorry I blew up like that. I’m just-“ Steve paused trying to find the words. On edge all the time and refusing to see a therapist, Tony thought. “Things like these hurt Wanda and they set her back. I don’t like seeing that. Plus the mission, if we get those bastards then their testimonies could be added to Bucky’s file…. I'll apologise to Malcom."

"Nah," Tony said. He poured a cup for himself. "I'll do it. Hopefully, I can resolve this without stepping inside a courtroom."

"Tony, you can't let other people handle Bucky's arm," Steve said. He thankfully no longer looked like he was ready to attack.

"'Other people' helped me build B.A.R.F. Now Bucky has no triggers. Have some faith, I chose these people carefully." Tony poured another cup for Steve. "Besides, Bucky's met them and he's fine with the work they're doing."

"Fine," Steve said grudgingly. "How is he?"

"You talk all the time."

"Yeah but you live with him now."

"He restores some of the old cars I have."

Steve smiled. "He told me, while he was driving one of them."

"He seems happy. Not as happy as he is with you."

"We've known each other our whole lives," Steve sad sympathetically.

Tony ignored that. "Rhodey and him are frenemies. It's almost adorable except when they want me to choose sides."

"Who do you pick?"

Rhodey. "I stay out of it."

"Boss, Strange wants to talk."

Whatever happened to the three people unfortunate enough to be closest to Maximoff was lifted. Tony asked for therapists to be present and that their families be contacted. He tracked Malcom to a room with a wall of monitors re-watching what happened.

"So lawsuits."

"Mhm?" Malcom tore his eyes away from a camera angle that captured the horror in Marlene's face as she was thrown back. "Not you, Tony. The Avengers."

"What about compensation?"

"What if it happens again? We can't work like this."

Tony shut the monitors down. "I've been too hands off with the Compound. I admit that and I'm willing to change things. What are the problems?"

"Where do I even begin? We barely get any research done because the quinjet is constantly broken, the Widow's bites are destroyed every other week, the Falcon wings... on and on and on."

"You need a bigger department or a department just for that?"

"A department just for that. I don't want to deal with them. Get the former SHIELD scientists. I heard some of them were selling their services and inventions to the highest bidder."

It was something Tony thought of and dismissed but Malcom was disheveled in a way he rarely was and he looked so tired and angry with everything. "Consider it done."

"Thanks. I'm not angry at you, by the way."

"It would be fine if you were."

"Yeah but I'm not. Thanks for listening."

"Go home, Malcom."

Malcom shook his head. "I have to deal with this first."

Tony stayed with him until Maximoff returned and he managed to have a short conversation with each of the victims. He spent the night in the Compound.

They managed to avoid a lawsuit narrowly. Tony still paid compensation to everyone who was in that lab. He had his lawyers on standby just in case they changed their minds. The Avengers and Barnes attacked the facility and brought it down. Barnes’ file got even fatter. 

Tony flew to Japan for Stark Expo Asia with Pepper where he announced plans to expand his free energy mission with miniature arc reactors. Pepper took him out for street food in Okinawa in the third night of their stay and they took selfies together with the last of their sata andagi.

Tony took a detour to Thailand where a dozen houses built around a cobalt processing plant, that supplied Stark Industries, burnt down the day before. He visited the survivors, got them sent to a better hospital, decided to upgrade the hospital they had been in and signed off a contract to build fire resistant houses for them. 

By the time Tony returned to the Tower, he was gone for two weeks. Rhodey had already left for the Yokota Air Base for reasons he still would not talk about. A decade before and Tony would be there too, showing off his weapons and probably making inappropriate jokes around the Japanese president. This year he was more interested in making that department and possibly moving Malcom and his team elsewhere. They were supposed to study the cosmos with the help of the nearby Asgardian settlement. It's Tony's fault for not remembering how exhausting an active Avenger team can be. The whole day was spent going over résumés and making a shortlist of possible candidates. He also carried out the initial tests on the mini arc reactors that he modified with Rhodey.

Tony went to Lagos for another Stark Expo and stayed there for a month, making the most detailed plan on how to spend thirty billion dollars on the continent. During that time, he took calls from Steve and texted with Barnes on a nearly daily basis. Towards the end of the trip, he received a dozen pictures of them celebrating their anniversary in Coney Island.

'Glad you're putting the money I gave you to good use.'

':)'

Barnes had refused Tony's offer to fly him over to Nairobi for the weekend of the anniversary and because he refused, Steve refused too. Tony sent them pictures of his hotels, the national parks and, once drunk on Tusker beer, a love song in Kikuyu. 

New York was under attack by a man who wore a glass globe over his head. Needless to say Peter beat him down singlehandedly in the Lower East side. Tony's disaster management teams were dispatched to the scene before he even got off his plane.

"Hey, kid, go to the hospital before your aunt kills me."

Peter let out a low whine. "But Tony, I'm fine. I'm already healing."

"Do I have to remind you May's reaction when we got back to earth? Get checked out, kid."

"Can I come to the Tower afterwards?"

"Are you trying to _bargain?_ "

"Just asking."

"Fine, whatever."

Tony let himself be swept up in everything that was waiting for him in the city, moving between machines and lawyers, forcing Senators to meet him in tiny restaurants. On a Monday, he dodged a bullet shot at him from across the street. The next day an oil company owner, his daughter and the board of an organisation that built electric gilds in developing countries were arrested. Steve came to the Tower with Barnes after they returned from chasing one of the heads of Hydra.

"You should have called," Steve said while Tony was rooting through the fridge.

"It's no big deal."

"How is it no big deal?" Barnes asked. 

"I'm putting entire industries to sleep so of course they are going to put out a hit on me." Tony opened a tub of ice cream, sniffed it and gagged. Pistachios. "Don't you think it's a little hypocritical when it comes from you guys? You still jump out of planes without parachutes, right?"

"Yes," Barnes answered unhappily.

Tony wagged a finger at Steve. "Naughty boy, I thought our safety-first talk went well."

"I barely listened," Steve admitted. "Too busy being angry at you."

"And," Tony said finding some mint choc ice cream finally, "when are you not angry at me?"

"Oh come on, you guys are doing great these days," Barnes said. Tony noticed the watch on the flesh hand and a drawing on the other.

"Who drew that?"

"Who do you think I allow near my arm?"

"It's neat," Tony said tilting his head. It was some kind of dragon, very adorable. "Cute. Familiar."

"We were watching Barney the Dinosaur last week and then this movie was recommended-"

"It was the Hummingbird about a dragon. We watched it like five times."

"And then Steve painted it on my arm because Hummingbird lost his arm saving a boy."

Tony tried to evenly distribute ice cream into three bowls when he looked up. "You watch kiddie movies?"

Barnes raised his eyebrows. "We're not supposed to? There's some kind of restriction because we had no problem streaming it afterwards?"

Tony passed them the bowls. "No, I figured it wasn't your thing."

"Awww damn buddy, guess we should stick to war movies."

"And torture porn because Tony has expectations."

"Cute," Tony said. "I'm pretty sure I remember you not being impressed by Bambi."

Steve made a face as he took a bite. Barnes was devouring his bowl. "This tastes like toothpaste," Steve said eating a smaller spoonful.

"It's still food. Also Bambi's boring." Barnes damn near licked his bowl before swiping the tub from Tony. Steve gave him his bowl and went to the fridge to get something he preferred. It was pistachios.

"So was Cinderella. The Fox and the Hound was great. Did you know you can have pet foxes?"

"Not in your apartment you can't," Tony said steadily making his way through his own bowl though he was feeling faintly disgusted at the speed at which Barnes ate. "Didn't you eat before you came?"

"When we move out then," Steve said bumping shoulders with Barnes.

"Moving out?" Tony was pretty sure that was _the_ apartment as far as they were concerned. "Why didn't you say you hadn't eaten? I could have ordered something."

"Yeah, eventually. Brooklyn's great and all but we want to explore the world like you do," Barnes replied. "If you're ordering, can we have calamari again?"

Tony tried to hide his surprise as he told FRIDAY to bring whatever Steve and Barnes wanted. He wondered what else they talked about and planned that he didn't know about. 

The calamari was soggy and was probably marinated for too long. Tony nibbled on it for a short while trying to get use to the taste. Barnes and Steve inhaled everything off of each other's plates, then Tony's and Bruce's when he wouldn't leave his work station. 

"We're staying at the Tower," Steve announced.

"If that's okay," Barnes added.

Tony shrugged. He was going to offer his penthouse when he stopped and thought about the last time they were there together. "We got room. Get settled in wherever. I have to go back to work."

Barnes didn't ask to shadow him. Instead he asked, "Can you come over when you're done?"

"Depends on when I'm done," Tony said truthfully.

"Make time," Steve said. "It's important."

"Aye, aye captain." Tony saluted though inside he was bristling. Barnes pulled him in and gave him a long, close-mouthed kiss. He pulled back and maintained eye contact until Tony looked away. This would have been easy if Tony had really moved on like he said he did. 

"I- I have to go." It felt like he was running even though his steps were measured. Now that Tony brought it up inside his head, he was constantly on the verge of remembering the video. These days he shoved that memory to the back of his head as hard as possible instead of dwelling on it like he did after Siberia. The intrusive thoughts made him uneasy and snappy at everyone, especially Bruce because if he had showed up instead of getting carried away by whatever he had been chasing all these months, Barnes wouldn't have looked at Tony weirdly. He wouldn't have been disturbed by those eyes. 

"Are you done cursing at the Geiger counter?" Bruce asked a little green.

"No. Probably."

"When I asked you to help me look over these readings-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm looking. What was it you were measuring anyway?"

"A sinkhole that appeared in Namibia last week," Bruce said angrily. "With a lot of water. In one of the driest places in the world. And with radiation."

Tony frowned, mind clearing for the first time. "What's causing it?"

"I don't know exactly. Odd things have been happening in places that are statistically unlikely. People who have been dead for days, weeks, months, have turned up alive."

Tony had the answer for the last one at least. The gauntlet had been too powerful to wield. Bless Nebula, she tried to be as precise without spending too long with the stones. Tony could not tell Bruce that because Bruce agreed to have his memories erased. He reasoned that no one could take the knowledge he got from the stones from him to find out where they were. He didn't know that they destroyed the stones instead of scattering them across the universe.

"Right. That's alarming."

Bruce sighed. "Tony, do you want to talk about what's making you upset? We can't work like this. I'm afraid you might bring the Other Guy out."

"Sorry." Tony almost told Bruce that nothing was wrong. Then on a whim he decided to go for the truth. "Do you think it's weird to date people who almost killed you?"

"Well they are your soulmates and you're not exactly blameless," Bruce answered.

"Bucky killed my parents," Tony then blurted.

Bruce froze and his skin was pale. "What?"

"I watched it- the surveillance footage- in Siberia. It's why we fought. He killed my parents and now we are in a relationship."

"Tony I... that's awful! That is honest to God- does Steve even know?"

"Oh he knew," Tony said darkly. He blinked. Guess that was something else he hasn't moved on from. Bruce understood immediately and he went green, then he calmed down and thought about it. He was green again when he spoke.

"That's messed up."

"Yeah."

"I understand that he had protect his friend from you but...."

"I know."

Bruce was pale again. "I don't know what to tell you. Invest in a therapist?"

Tony shook his head. He has tried therapists and it was like they were speaking a language he just could not understand. 

"Tell Steve and Bucky about then."

"I don't know."

"It can't be worse than what you've been doing."

Tony rubbed his face. "I don't know if I'm ready."

"You are Tony Stark. You're always ready."

At least Bruce believed in him, he thought when FRIDAY told him he was wanted in the twentieth floor. He was eight floors up and decided to take the stairs just to give himself some extra time. Tony had his hand in his pocket and his shirt unbuttoned to his chest when he walked into the apartment coolly. Barnes was in the living room alone in a vest and sweatpants playing with the remote.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Was it you or Steve who called?"

"Me. I wanted to talk first before we...."

Tony pretended to know what he was referring to by taking a seat and nodding. "I'm all ears."

Barnes put the remote away, wiped his hands on his trousers and said, "Remember that day when we talked about how we were going to do this and I said I wasn't ready for sex?" Of course Tony did, he hadn't slept in three days and everyone in the Tower knew he withheld the truth for years. "I'm ready now."

Tony's mouth dried up and his jaw fell a little. "Are you sure? We can wait." For a very long time preferably.

Barnes, who had been staring intently at Tony's mouth, replied, "I am."

"Have you and Steve...?" He sounded breathy and he was panting slightly.

"Yes."

"Will he-?"

"Yes."

Tony's mouth got even drier and his heart was thumping painfully in his chest. "I actually came to talk to you about-"

Barnes moved quickly off of the couch and on Tony. He tilted Tony's head and kissed him deeply. Jolts of pleasure coursed through Tony more intensely than before and he curled his toes inside his shoes. Tony had to push Barnes back to breathe, his whole body was tingling.

"I... we should-"

Barnes cut him off with another kiss, licking the inside of his mouth and cradling his cheeks with cold hands. On and on it went until Tony was dizzy and his mouth was slick with spit.

"Bar-"

"Tomorrow. We can talk about anything you want tomorrow. Let me have you."

Tony didn't know if he could keep pushing. He was breathless and hard, and for the second time that day his mind was strangely clear. "Okay. Okay. What do you want?"

Barnes got off him and led him to the master bedroom where the bathroom door was open and something Steve shaped was in the shower. Tony thought the room smelt of sex. The bed was unmade, the duvet split to the ground like it was kicked off.

"Looks like you got the party started before me," he noted idly. Barnes grinned bashfully. "I get it. Sex is awesome _and_ takes a long time to prepare for," Tony said pointedly.

Barnes gave Tony an 'oh really' look. "I'm clean," he said. Tony noticed the condom hanging half in the waste basket. "But we don't have to do that for now."

Good, Tony thought. He wasn't remotely prepared to fuck Barnes or anyone at that moment. "Wanna make out?" Assuming that it's a heavy make out session that he was called for.

Barnes pressed Tony to the nearest wall, kissing him slowly, untucking Tony's shirt and touching his skin roughly like he was trying to warm up his hands. Tony arched into the touch and recoiled at the intensity. The amount of time Barnes could go without breathing is frankly baffling. Tony stood on his toes and pulled when he wanted to breathe or when a stray thought killed the urge to keep seeking that feeling until he had an orgasm. 

After a while, Barnes moved away. He was panting now too and his eyes were more black than blue. Steve was behind him, leaning on the door frame of the bathroom, naked. Barnes removed his hands and dropped the pants and removed the vest. They were both so large and they moved together like they shared a mind. A pillow from the bed was thrown at Tony's feet and he stared at it confused until he looked back up and it made sense. It also was something he didn't want to do that night.

"Babe," Barnes said breathily. "Get on your knees for us."

Tony did and he found himself with a flushed dick inches from his mouth. He had done this before, it was little problem taking it into his mouth. Barnes gasped delicately.

"Thank you," he said.

Tony bopped his head, licked and sucked without thinking, without living in the moment. It was an average blowjob. Nothing like his best but the sweet electricity that came with their soulbond meant that it probably felt great. Barnes grunted, whined and groaned. He pulled at Tony's hair and whispered his name. The one time Tony looked up, Steve was kissing Barnes gently, holding his weight up as Tony gagged, spit and cum dribbling down his chin. Barnes came loudly without warning, his hips snapping forward. Fortunately Tony had fisted his cock and it barely went further inside than it already was. The taste of cum was bitter in his mouth.

"So good," Barnes sobbed into Steve's mouth.

Tony wondered if he should wipe his mouth and chin with his sleeve or wash it in that bathroom. He felt Steve's hand on his shoulder and he leaned into it.

"Tony," Steve said. Tony's jaw hurt, it's been too long since he did this, but he still opened his mouth for Steve. He was sloppy, sucked more than anything and jerked Steve's cock the rest of the time. Steve was quiet, he breathed heavy and held Tony's head steady but he was quiet. He grew very still when he came.

"Bathroom," Tony croaked. He shakily stood up and walked past them. Twenty minutes later, he came out having rinsed his mouth thoroughly and taken care of his own erection. They fixed the bed and redressed. When they saw him, Steve grabbed his wrist.

"Sleep between us."

"It's early."

"It's nine."

Barnes, who was already laying in the bed, propped up on his elbow. "FRI said you've barely been sleeping."

If FRIDAY had been given access to the bedroom, Tony would have scolded her. Though it was also his fault for not telling her to keep his hours to herself. "Sleep here tonight and we'll talk tomorrow."

That talk was the only reason he got inside the bed. Tony spooned Barnes while Steve stretched out on his side of the bed. Sleep was fitful with Tony barely having room, Barnes' hair getting inside his mouth and Steve's soft snores. Tony was glad when sunlight hit his eyes and could finally wake up without being cajoled back to sleep. His knees hurt, his lower back had knots and his breath was probably nasty so he climbed over Steve and locked himself inside the bathroom. After a quick shower, Tony brushed his teeth with an unopened toothbrush that he found that he promptly threw away. 

Steve was awake and dressing himself in clothes Tony didn't know he brought. "No morning run for me."

"You could use one of the gyms. I think I have a few of your punching bags." Peter used them sometimes when he came over to the Tower for his internship.

"Breakfast?"

"Coffee." 

"Breakfast."

Breakfast was spinach parmesan omelets, fruit yoghurt and French toast that was sweeter than Tony would like. Tony ate a little of everything with a bitter cup of dark roast. Eventually Barnes joined them and ate everything put in front of him within minutes.

"Jarvis would have abhorred your manners."

"Who?" Barnes asked with a mouthful of blueberries.

"Butler. Nanny. First friend."

Barnes was amused. "So he raised _you_ , why he be bothered by me?"

"Because I eat my food, not smear it on myself." Tony's mouth curled when Barnes found a dollop of yoghurt on his shirt and licked it off. "Who raised you?"

"Annabel Barnes," Barnes replied proudly. 

"I think we met. Your mom that is." Tony said remembering.

Steve turned the stove off. "Seriously? Why didn't you say something before?"

"I think it was in early eighties and Howard was hosting an event at your old school, dedicating the building to you." Tony remembered the stiff shirt that he wore and the boredom he felt throughout that night. "Your mom came, accepted it on your behalf and asked everyone to live as you did. I can dig up pictures if you want? There might be have been a broadcast in the local news."

Barnes eyes were shiny. "That would be great." His voice broke and he cleared his throat. "The talk... let's talk about the talk."

"It can wait," Tony said getting up.

"No, no. Go ahead."

Steve leaned into Barnes' space. "Buck, you okay?" He whispered. 

"I'm fine. Tony, you were going to say something."

"It should wait." Tony was starting to feel like he was barging into something he had no business watching.

"No, seriously. Go. Ahead."

Tony was almost out of the kitchen. "Yeah, no. I'm leaving and-"

"Talk already!" Barnes yelled. Tony flinched and started for his watch when he stopped himself.

"Bucky."

"I am not fucking fragile." Barnes shook Steve off and he was glaring at Tony.

"It's about my parents." Tony said because he probably had no self-preservation left. Barnes was right, though, he barely reacted to that. "I wanted to talk about them."

"What don't you know?" Steve asked confused. "I told you what I remember."

"Not that," Tony snapped. "There's time for that later. I wanted to talk about the part where they died because we haven't really done that."

"Fine," Barnes said, the side of his nose was slightly wet. "What do-"

"We already talked about," Steve cut in forcefully glancing at Barnes every few second, "he didn't do it. Tony, he was forced."

"I'm not disagreeing-"

"Wait, did you bring up his mom just to hurt him?"

"Steve, come on," Barnes hissed.

Tony went cold. "Let's get something clear. Screaming at each other about the _fight_ in Siberia isn't talking about my parents' murder."

Steve stood up, throwing the dishes into the sink. "What else is there to say?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Do you hate us? Do you hate him?"

"If I did, you wouldn't have to question it. I brought you back, I got you pardons. I gave him the single most expensive-"

"You want us to grovel?" Steve asked. Barnes scrubbed his face.

"Enough! The both of you stop. We're getting nowhere."

Tony was so tempted to turn his watch to a gauntlet just to knock Steve out. "Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. I only want to put this thing to rest for the last time. Do you even know how long it took me to even find a little closure when they died?"

"I'm sorry," Barnes said. "I didn't-"

"He didn't do it. You should be furious at Hydra, chasing after them, getting rid of anyone who stands your way but you'd rather blame Bucky and allow strangers people to get in the way of our work."

Tony turned to Barnes with a friendly smile. "You know, they should have called you Tuberculosis instead of the Winter Soldier so Cap can find it in himself to sympathise-"

Steve lunged and promptly collided with Barnes. He was so angry he could not speak. Tony stared at him evenly, not moving a muscle.

"I think it's time you left," Barnes said straining to hold Steve back.

"Gladly," Tony said. He got his shoes and slammed the door on the way out.

"Boss, Rhodey just got out of a cab."

Thank God for Rhodey. Tony didn't race to the bottom of the Tower to welcome Rhodey because that would be pathetic. He went to the penthouse to get another shower to wash the sudden exhaustion away and wear clean clothes. Rhodey came into the penthouse while Tony combed his hair.

"We're not sharing a bed this time," he said in greeting.

"I missed you too. How long are you staying?"

"Two weeks." Rhodey threw his bag into the spare bedroom. "We're eating out."

"Savory or sweet?"

"No preference today. Why are you so pale?"

Tony froze for second before putting his comb down. "Shocked that you're taking leave for so long. What happened?"

"I'll tell you over breakfast. I have got to piss."

They had breakfast in a cafe a mile from the Tower. Tony's appetite was back in full force and he nearly gorged himself in fluffy pancakes.

"That's why you're so pale. You're barely eating." Rhodey tsked, sounded so much like his mother that Tony snorted. "I thought those two would strong-arm you into living healthier."

"No one does that better than you, snookum."

"Bullshit. That's Pepper. I don't have the patience so you'll need to clean up the act while I’m here."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "I just might get extra dysfunctional."

"And who will that hurt exactly?"

"As if you can bear to watch me self-destruct-"

"I'll bring the popcorn."

"Then I'll make it extra entertaining."

"Stank."

"That's getting old, James."

"Ooooh! I hate that." Rhodey shuddered. 

Tony wiped his face with a napkin. "What was it you're going to tell me, Colonel?"

Rhodey's face broke into a wide smile. "It's General actually. Brigadier General Rhodes thank you very much."

"I set that up accidentally!"

"I know. I was right here. Now shut up and take credit for it."

"Am I that predictable? I'm proud of _you_. Where are you being stationed?"

Rhodey drank the last of his hot chocolate. "Randolph. I'm deputy commander."

"And you're okay teaching?" Tony could not imagine it. Rhodey was a man of action, he never could take the time to help someone learn something. You either knew or you didn't.

"140 sanctioned missions is an accomplishment that I'm satisfied with."

Tony didn't buy it. "Sure but you can't be done yet."

Rhodey sighed like he was tired of repeating himself. "I'm paralysed from the waist down. And," he raised his voice to stop Tony from interrupting, "the braces help a lot but what happens if I have to eject inside enemy territory or they get damaged? I have to accept how I am."

"Helen-"

"Has someway of growing spinal cells. I've read your emails. Even if she succeeds, I'm going to that training facility regardless."

"Okay." Tony raised his tepid cup of coffee. "General."

"Stank."

Two weeks with Rhodey was not enough time but damn if Tony was going to waste it. He already had plans to volunteer his services to the facility so that he could visit as often as possible. The first day Barnes texted him to talk about happened. Tony ignored it.

"You're not going to hang on to my arm the whole time, are you? Your boyfriends would not approve." Rhodey said on the second day of Tony dragging him around the state.

"Screw them," Tony said cheerfully. He was not going to mention that he was avoiding the Tower since Steve and Barnes were still there bafflingly.

"Uh huh," Rhodey replied but he didn't push.

On the third day, they went shopping because Tony was perilously close to wearing the same outfit twice.

"I can't believe it took me years to realise you're gay when this is all you want to do."

"Homophobia," Tony cried. "That's homophobic."

Rhodey had a funny expression on his face. "Whatever."

"Right," Tony murmured under his breath, "don't ask, don't tell."

Steve asked FRIDAY to pass along message. She refused to quote the insults to Tony. After a while, the messages became nicer and bordering on apologetic, and coming less frequently. Soon they were just invitations. Barnes sent texts about his day and what weird thing he found on the internet. Tony was always busy though with the launch of a new android phone and the increased testing of the arc reactors. He missed a knife thrown at him at a charity event by inches and got sued by thirteen energy companies. Rhodey was with him the entire time which was how he ended up in the hospital with gashes from another assassination attempt by someone who was superhumanly fast. Thank God for Helen Cho and the Cradle

Steve and Barnes got tired of waiting for Tony presumably. FRIDAY told him that they booked a room at Disney World for the next few days. Tony sought Rhodey out to ignore the inconveniencing chest pains he was having again.

"Is it your heart?"

"Probably," Tony said. It was the fact that despite his best attempts he was attached to two people he didn't quite know or understand.

"Want to watch something together?"

"Ferris Bueller, FRI."

FRIDAY turned the TV on and began playing the movie. Tony pressed himself to Rhodey throughout the movie. They both watched it so many times that they could talk over the dialogue and pretend to be mad at each other about that. 

"Hey, remember when you tried to recreate this?" Tony asked.

"Nearly lost my scholarship. It was worth it, though."

"I wish I hadn't been sick that day."

"Well I'm glad that you were. I'd probably still be in jail."

"When I have allowed anything like that to happen?"

"Where do I begin?" Turned out there was a long list of incidents Tony was too high and drunk to remember. Tony thought Rhodey was probably making up most of them based on how hard he was laughing at the more ridiculous accusations.

"Ass," Tony said after Rhodey ran out of lies to tell.

Rhodey quietened down and gazed at him softly, humour etched on his face.

"Hey handsome," Tony said because he could. Rhodey scoffed, looking away but not before Tony caught a mildly hurt look. "What? You are handsome."

"You like talking," Rhodey said.

"Hey, you're not seriously having a self-esteem issues, are you?"

"No," Rhodey said. "I'm the prettiest man alive. Every man and woman wants me. _You_ just like talking."

"Which part is the serious part so I don't mess up?" Tony has been doing a lot of messing up lately.

"Both of them, Tony."

"Ok...ay."

"You're so oblivious, it's funny." There was that sadness again.

"You are twelve steps ahead of me in this conversation. Would it make you happy if I just agree?"

"Yes and no."

Tony left it at that not knowing what to say. Rhodey still look disappointed. It was the burn from that look that finally led Tony to stop ignoring the invitations and stop by before going to another Accords meeting. 

"I'm coming inside so make yourself decent!" Tony called from outside their apartment before he opened the room. Steve was red in the face, not from embarrassment but from the Mickey Mouse ears on top of his head. Barnes' eyes were dancing when he turned to the door, clutching his midsection. "Damn. Missed something funny."

"Yeah," Steve said out of breath. He was relaxed but closed off to Tony. "It's hard to explain."

"Do you know," Barnes began personable like Tony hadn't confessed he still wasn't over his parents' murder, "how weird it is to wake up and became an icon?"

"People have _expectations_ for us," Steve wheezed. 

Tony just laughed. "Right. What were you watching?"

"An exploitative black movie," Barnes answered. 

"You mean Blaxploitation films?" For some reason though that set the two of them off. They laughed with their whole body, practically flopped around from the sheer force of it. Now even Tony was starting to get amused though he was puzzled. "Are you guys okay?"

"We don't know anything," Steve said his eyes turning red from tears. "I don't know anything. Bucky doesn't know anything and he's been conscious longer than me."

"Tony, Tony," Barnes started before cutting himself off too giggle.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Water."

Tony got them both something cool and soothing that had some water in it. They took a while to calm down since it took little to cause them to break out in laughter. Eventually the joke wore out.

"That was some meltdown."

"I prefer this to whatever other meltdown people have," Steve said.

"Amen, brother."

Tony's mouth twitched. "Do you want me to give you space to ride this out?"

"You don't have to stay here if it makes you uncomfortable," Barnes said tired and somber suddenly.

"It's fine. It's not bad except for the arguments. Speaking of, Cap," Tony gave him his full attention, "I'm sorry I said what I said about your mother. It was out of line."

"Thank you." Steve sat up. "And?"

"You're welcome?"

"No. Bucky."

"Yeah?"

"His apology," Steve sighed.

"Right. Sorry for... um... why am I apologising?"

"Steve cut it out."

Steve looked at Bucky like he was hurt. "I'm trying to-"

"You're being a jerkass."

"Thank you, Bucky." Tony laid it on thick and Steve's hackles were immediately raised. "Can you imagine he was more insufferable before your dramatic escape from Hydra?"

"You're welcome, Tony," Barnes replied overly friendly, not caring that Steve was getting increasingly angry. "Please tell me about that. Stevie's very mum."

"I think it's better we gossip when he's gone," Tony stage whispered. 

"Go to hell, Tony," Steve snapped.

"What? I'm getting along with-"

"I wouldn't have been 'insufferable' if you had just told me the truth."

Tony rolled his eyes so hard. "Here we go again."

"You just can't admit you were wrong."

"I admitted it when you ran to tell to every damn person about how duplicitous I was."

"Just to get me to shut up and drop it."

“Like that’s a bad thing,” Tony mumbled.

"Guys, this is exhausting," Barnes said all his good mood completely evaporated.

Steve ignored him. He was amped up with anger, looking the very image of Captain America. "You don't want this relationship to work. You're grasping at everything you can that could destroy it because you're a scared-"

"I don't have time for this. There's an Accords meeting in an hour and-"

Steve lost control and gave a frustrated yell. "When will you stop propping up that-"

"For God's sake, Steve. It's going to exist whether or not I'm there! The only reason you're here right now is because I stepped up!"

"You wouldn't have to if you told them the truth!" Steve bellowed. "If they knew what we lost,” his voice broke and very briefly his face was clouded, “because they interfered with the team... what it took us to get all of this back. Damn it Tony, you're smart! You know that the Accords only takes away our ability to help people."

"I'd rather not take people's peace of mind because you're so desperate to be right."

Barnes narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is going on? What are you hiding?"

Steve stared at Barnes for several moments before looking at Tony, jaw tight and posture straightening. "Tell him."

Tony shook his head wry half smile. "No, I'm not going to because I know how this will end." He pointed at Barnes without taking his eyes off of Barnes. "He'll be a mess because who wouldn't be and we know who you'll blame for that."

"You really think that I would do that?"

"Yes! I can't win with you! There is no right thing to do or say!"

"There is a right thing to do," Steve said firmly, "you always choose the one that makes you comfortable. Damn everyone else. Sam told me something that I've been in denial about for the past few months. We always have to convince you that it's for your own good before you do something. Supporting the team instead of nursing your guilt complexes, helping Bucky instead of being needlessly resentful over something he was _brainwashed_ to do, telling the truth, it never ends."

A long pause followed that. Tony's eyes were burning but he willed them to remain dry. "Well that's me, isn't it? The most selfish man alive. Let me get out of your hair before you're forced to discuss things with me instead of running off and doing them because you are Captain fucking America." He opened the door and paused. “One more thing, get a damn therapist already.”

His voice wasn't steady but walked out of the apartment with his head high. Tony brushed his teeth, rinsed his mouth with the strongest mouthwash in his bathroom, showered and wore the most expensive suit in his closet and a pair of dark blue sunglasses. He walked into the chamber where the meeting was being held and said, "About that article that could hand over power over the Avengers to the UN Security Council in case of an alien invasion? That's not happening."

Tony was always exceptional at bargaining. Today he handled the Accords like he hated them, like he had something to prove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big men with so many issues. most of the original characters are poc.
> 
> tell me what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd

Tony returned from the meeting exhausted. He went immediately to where FRIDAY said Rhodey was, undressing as he got closer.

"I'm not wearing pants today," he announced at the door of the kitchen.

"Bad day? Argument with your lover boy- lover boys. I cannot get used to the idea of you dating two men," Rhodey said.

Tony yawned and stretched. "Me neither." He eyed a plate of shakshuka with toast hungrily.

"Urgh please don't talk about sex while we're eating."

"What?" Why would Tony? He hadn't had any since Pepper broke the engagement. Do impromptu blowjobs count? "That's my plate," he said instead, pulling the warm plate towards him. "I love it when you cook."

Rhodey spooned some for himself. "It's really spicy," he warned, "no, no, don't even try to pretend that doesn't bother you."

Tony cautiously dipped the bread into the sauce and took a bite. "Oh, it's not so bad." He hummed when he sniffed the bread. "Garlic."

"Of course it takes food to turn your mood around."

"And you," Tony added.

Rhodey shifted a little. "Want to talk about why you're upset?"

"No."

"Guess we can talk about the weather or the news or the," Rhodey yawned fakely, "company. My, what a hot day-"

"Hey, do you want to be my date to the Stark gala?"

Rhodey blinked several times. "Wh- what? Dude, you have two people you should be asking."

"I don't want to ask them and I doubt they'll agree anyway."

"Okay," Rhodey said, "ask Pepper."

"That would be weird."

"And taking me, wouldn't be?"

"No, we haven't dated and you're pretty easy on the eyes. I don't see the problem."

"If I agree, will you tell me why Steve and Bucky wouldn't come with you?"

Tony grinned. "We had a big fight."

"Elabora-"

"Uh uh uh uh.... I told you and now you have to let me tailor your suit."

"You barely said anything!"

"You should have told me to be specific."

Rhodey looked at the ceiling and slowly closed his eyes. "Tony, you're in your underwear. Something is clearly wrong."

"I thought," Tony said with his mouth full, "you didn't want to hear anything about sex?"

Rhodey peered at him suspiciously. "That's it?"

"Unfortunately," Tony replied. "Can't get it up anymore buddy."

Rhodey looked vaguely disgusted and very amused. "You're just messing with me."

"Hand to God." Rhodey snickered. "You're imagining me with my sad sausage in front of two super soldiers, aren't you? You horndog."

"Not wonder it gave up on you. Sad sausage? Urgh."

 

"Pervert."

Rhodey remembered his food and began eating more neatly than Tony.

"It's in five days, the gala, so suits today or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. You still don't have pants and you have tomato chunks on your beard."

Tony ate the chunks with a grin. "Delicious."

Rhodey's smile faded. "You're happy, aren't you? When I'm not here?"

"No," Tony said dropping the overly perky attitude. "But that's not new."

"Tony-"

"I'm not going to die from it."

"We can talk about it," Rhodey said. "Remember what your therapist said about not bottling things up? You need to start seeing her again."

Tony sighed. "She wouldn't understand."

"Thanos isn't that different from Mandarin or Stane."

"How do I explain time travel? Or why that needed to happen?"

Rhodey was not convinced. "By opening your mouth and talking."

"It'll freak her out. What if she turned to dust or watched her son or her sister?"

"People are a lot tougher than you give them credit," Rhodey replied. "You shouldn't take it all on your own. I wish I could remember it."

Tony shook his head. "You don't want to, trust me," he said darkly. The nightmares were nothing to the actual memories. Tony hadn't touched B.A.R.F in months. He preferred to live outside his head these days, less chance of a memory taking him by surprise.

"Want to watch something?" Rhodey asked. Tony nodded his head. He washed his face while Rhodey chose something.

"Really? Game of Thrones, after all that talk about death?"

"You didn't panic when we watched John Wick," Rhodey pointed out.

"The whole show is about an upcoming apocalypse."

"Oh come on, these jackasses are nothing Thanos' Purple Order."

"Black Order," Tony corrected absentmindedly. He made himself comfortable by draping himself on Rhodey. By the fifth episode, he was so bored he began talking loudly about what he would do if he was a Stark.

"Shh."

"The captions are on."

"But the emotions...."

Tony was happy when the season ended with Jon Snow dead, mostly because Rhodey refused to watch the next one. 

"Stop grinning. He was one of the few good ones-"

"You mean boring."

"No, that's Sansa."

Tony shrugged. "Fast and Furious? Pacific Rim?"

"Transformers?"

"Maybe the first," Tony conceded. 

They watched the movie in silence except for the few times Tony had to snicker. "I wasn't that awful with women, was I?" Tony asked when there was yet another gratuitous Megan Fox shot.

"You were," Rhodey said without missing a beat. 

"Thanks."

"You can always count on me to be honest," Rhodey told him. That got Tony to stop and think. The situation with Steve and Barnes was obviously complicated. Tony could only think of Barnes by his last and he spent half his time with Steve arguing and the other half behaving awkwardly. Rhodey was as objective a person that Tony was going to find. Together they were bound to find what the problem was so Tony could fix it.

"Yeah, honest.... FRI turn that off-"

"Hey!"

"I'm ready for that talk." Tony got off Rhodey, moved back a few feet and crossed his leg. Where should Tony begin?

"From the beginning."

"Huh? Oh, fine. I had two names on me. James Barnes and Steve Rogers, both dead- as far as Howard was concerned, only one was dead- so it had to be other people. Then one day I find out they got Captain America from the ice." Tony didn't believe that his soulmate was Steve prior to meeting the man because of the odds, but seeing his father’s favourite specter was something indescribable. "So I meet him on the helicarrier and we don't hit it off. I mean, he went straight for the jugular, it was like someone let him watch all the news clips about me with Natasha. I figured he lost seventy years, he didn't like me at all and I wasn't too fond of him either, that I should keep it to myself."

"You should have said something right there and then."

Defensiveness crept up in Tony's voice when he replied, "I had no idea it was him and I wasn't going to humiliate myself in front of SHIELD agents in case I was wrong. I thought I'd give it time for him to settle in. Besides, I was dating Pepper."

"Then what?"

"He went on a cross-country trip and joined SHIELD. Again, I figured he was trying to find himself. By this point, he had said nothing. I thought it meant it was obviously one sided. What's the point of bringing it up?"

Rhodey nodded his head. "Makes sense."

Mollified by that, Tony continued, "Then SHIELD collapsed and the next thing I knew the Avengers was a team. Steve spent so much time looking for Barnes-"

"And you assumed that was his soulmate?"

"How many three people soulbonds do you know? Exactly. I was right anyway and it basically confirmed to me then that it was one-sided. Also he was too close to Barnes back in the day that I thought it was reciprocated."

"Steve probably thought the same thing."

"He thought Pepper was mine. She might as well have been," Tony said sadly. He cleared his throat. "Thing were going great until Ultron and the Accords. After that it was perfectly clear that there was never going to be anything between us so I proposed to Pepper."

"Please tell me you didn't ask Pepper to marry you-"

"What? No. I just meant I didn't have to tell her about Steve."

Rhodey made a face like he remembered something. "You might want to have this conversation with Pepper."

"Why? What did she tell you?"

"You know that she understood, right? Soulbonds are powerful things but you hurt her."

Tony's stomach plummeted. "Don't tell me that she thinks I-"

"That's the only conclusion she could come up with especially since you keep so much to yourself."

"But..." Tony trailed off. He was in love with her still and was probably always going to be. "I thought it was Thanos and being taken to another planet, that she was tired of being left behind. I was making a suit...."

Rhodey perked up in surprised. "You didn't say anything?"

"I have to call her."

"Tony, don't. Not yet. This isn't a phone call conversation."

Tony deflated. Of course he ruined things with Pepper, after months of thinking they had a clean break. 

"Why did you tell Steve?" Rhodey asked. "If you thought it was one-sided, why say anything?"

"Well," Tony said. Fury told him, six years back before Tony was placed into the team of guards escorting Loki in the helicarrier. He said it because Tony was rambling about how he shared a lot of information with Fury but Fury wouldn't tell him anything. Tony wasn't fishing for anything in particular, he was just relieved to see Fury alive and expressed it by annoying the man. "Time travel."

"Wow. That's one hell of a way to find out."

It was kind of funny. The only way to beat Thanos involved, among other things, Tony learning the truth.

"You had a rough start, sure, but I remember you guys worked it out. What's the problem now?"

"We didn't work things out so much as shouted for hours and agreed to put things behind us."

"But you didn't?"

"No, Steve's angry- he's always angry, it’s a thing now. We should really do something about that. At best Steve and I were just kinda friends but Barnes killed my parents," Rhodey winced, "and I know it wasn't really him but I can't forget that tape. Again weirdly, he's the one who has adjusted the best."

"Truth be told, I have no advice for that," Rhodey admitted. "This isn't typical, it's messed up actually."

"Just tell what you think is the problem. Then I'll work on it," Tony said.

"Besides the lack of communication you mean? Therapy. Your problem is that you both lied to each other about a lot of important things. Ignoring it isn't working and you said Steve's pissed off about it all time. Maybe it's time to bring in a professional."

Tony sighed for a long time. "Fine. FRI therapists-"

"Couples therapists," Rhodey interrupted.

"Individual too. Steve's got a lot to work through. He probably wouldn't want to be there to see me cry."

"He's too emotionally constipated," Rhodey agreed. "What? I was the most qualified person in his team. He had me around as much as he could."

"Nothing just the cold, satisfying feeling of validation…. I'm taking a nap. FRI, wake me up in two hours."

He woke up an hour later with a dry mouth and a burning need to pee. Later Tony threw himself into work. The outer protective layer of Rhodey's suit was done. They moved to the second stage of testing for the arc reactors on home appliances. After the third toaster exploded, Tony called it a night. He was going to grab some food when an intern ran breathlessly towards him.

"Dr. Banner wants a quinjet," she panted.

"JOCASTA, one of the quinjet-"

"He said sixteen seats."

"You got that?"

"Yes, sir," JOCASTA replied.

"What's going on?" Tony asked. "Do we need to get the Avengers?"

"A river appeared out of nowhere in Death Valley."

Tony stopped walking. "Did you just say Death Valley?" He removed his phone and called Bruce but he would pick up. "FRI, get me Bruce."

The hallway they were standing in came alive with grunts. "T-Tony? Hey, sorry my phone died."

"Miss..."

"Mrs. Urie."

"Mrs. Urie said there's a river in Death Valley. What the hell is going on?"

"I'm going there right now. Tony, I think you should brief the President. In fact, brief all the presidents."

"FRI, call Steve. I want him on that quinjet with Bruce." Tony called Stephen. "Teleport to Death Valley. See if you-"

"I'm already there, Tony."

"Good," Tony said. Mrs. Urie was looking wide eyed at him. "First name?"

"Christine."

"Christine call your..."

"Wife."

"You're staying here tonight. I'm going on Bruce's data, see if I can figure something. Set it up for me."

"Right away, sir," Christine said. She took off running.

Tony made his third call. "Rhodey, you need to sit down in front of any holographic computer near you and look over what FRIDAY will show."

"What's going on?" 

Tony dropped his voice. "Remember when I told you that we brought back people who died because of Thanos? I'm starting to think that's not the only thing we brought back."

"Tony, what the hell?"

"If they ask you, don't mention the gauntlet until I say you can."

"What the hell am I supposed- who am I even talking to?"

"The President first, then every other president maybe."

"And I tell them that things are coming back to life just out of nowhere?"

"Yeah, rivers, forests, maybe a homo habilis or two. We'll figure out a way to explain this without referencing an apocalypse they can't remember."

Rhodey sighed. "First week after my promotion and I have to tell the President, the dinosaurs might be coming back."

"I did not think of that," Tony said. "Holy shit, dinosaurs!"

"Focus. I found a computer. You go and find out how to stop this."

Tony ran to the elevator which opened to show Barnes.

"Tony! What happened? Steve rushed out while I was in the bathroom."

Tony bit his bottom lip. Was this classified? Could he tell someone who wasn't an official Avengers member? "Later."

"No!" Barnes cried, jerking forward, which was when Tony realised how pale he was. "Are we- are we dying again?"

Tony put his arms down carefully. "Steve told you. Interesting." Tony got inside the elevator. "I don't think we're dying. It's what coming back to life that’s the problem."

Barnes' eyes were wild while he thought of it. "So you didn't just bring us back, you brought-"

"Ancient, dried up river," Tony finished for him. Barnes was smarter than he realised. "And I didn't bring you back." He pointed at himself. "Base level human. Would not have survived or even succeeded. It was Nebula, a blue alien with a body like your arm." 

"She did this?"

"Dude, she fought those Gems to an inch of her life. Restored life to the universe. That's incredibly difficult. So what if the earth might be returning to an earlier point in history?"

"Do you even hear yourself? Jesus Christ."

"Fine, I'll be more serious." Tony narrowed his eyes at Barnes. "I thought Steve said you were some kind of nerd."

"Maybe I'd be more excited if I didn't just find out I died," Barnes said breathing heavily. "What if some disease- old bacteria and viruses come back? Or the Tyrannosaurus Rex appears inside a school?"

The elevator door opened. "I'm pretty sure that only people have come back. Oh damn, speaking of which, FRI find them. Ask Gertrude Wright to assemble an army of therapists."

"Which Gertrude Wright, boss?"

"Psychology department in Stark Pharmaceuticals." Bruce's lab was chaotic. Tony had to raise his voice to be heard. "Christine, the data please."

Christine weaved her way to the front. "Sorry, sir. Dr. Banner sent something he picked up over Lake Tight."

"What is it?"

One of the technicians came over with a tablet. "It's giving off very high levels of gamma radiation. Shantelle's looking up any reports of changes."

Shantelle raised her hand when her name was said to get Tony's attention. "I've found nothing in State papers of either Ohio or West Virginia about this."

"Let FRIDAY do that. Don't hesitate to ask her. You are scientists," Tony said gently. "Now about the radiation."

They pulled several tables together and began going over the raw data while Christine showed Tony Bruce's work from the past month. Tony no longer had data from the Infinity Gems but he remembered plenty. The collection of heat stress data in the soil around the immediate area where the sinkhole in Namibia formed was spotty but similar to the energy emitted by the Time Gem. The same for the gamma radiation, not an exactly copy as the one in Tony's head but close enough. Tony knew he had to get in contact with the Guardians. Barnes was following him around the lab, listening while Tony explained concepts and terms to him. Eventually, FRIDAY compiled some social media posts about the lake claiming the lake was getting bigger slowly.

"FRI, get me the Senators. We need communities around the lake evacuated immediately." Tony turned to Bucky. "Inform the Avengers. Tell them to be on stand-by."

The calls with the Senators was incredibly hard. They expected Tony to find 'the bad guy' doing this and put a stop to it. Tony would have to get the President to order the evacuation.

"FRI, is Rhodey busy?"

"Yes."

"Guess I can send him a text," Tony said. He summarised the Lake Tight situation and urge Rhodey to get the evacuation in capital letters. All that was left was the Guardians. Tony went to his lab and put it on lockdown. The communicator Peter Quill left him was inside a safe for the next Thanos-esque threat. Tony turned it on. Immediately he heard Heart of Glass blasting.

"This is Starlord, what can I do you for?"

"Peter, it's Tony Stark."

"Whoa, man, I thought we agreed that this would be for emergencies."

"Is Nebula there? We need to talk."

The communicator went off. Before Tony could start cursing, it came back on. "Tony," Nebula said.

"Hey, how are you?"

"What do you want?" She asked curtly.

"When you used the Gauntlet, how far did you go with it?"

"You said to bring back the dead," Nebula replied flatly.

"How accurate were you?"

"It was difficult but I was close as I could be."

Tony sucked in some air. "I need you to be a bit more specific."

"Why? What went wrong?"

"Ancient water sources are cropping up all over the world."

"How is that a bad thing?"

"Well most of them had dried up by now and we built on them. Not to mention the planet used to be covered in water, Nebula. For all I know we're going to get early ancestors of most species on the planet and probably many that died out."

"How is that a bad thing?" Nebula repeated.

"People will drown or get eaten, entire cities are going to get destroyed, if any of that happens," Tony answered. He tried to remind himself that Nebula probably never lived on a planet like earth from what she told him on Titan. "Just tell me how close you were."

"I saw something," she began, "and there might been a few milliseconds in which I lost control over some of the Gems because of that."

"How bad do you think the damage will be?"

"Not bad. I focused on humans on your planet. I don't even know what animals or plants you have. Thanos travelled the known universe before he started collecting the Gems."

Tony sighed in relief. "Thank you, Nebula. My offer still stands."

"I owe a debt to the billions Thanos killed with my help."

"You more than paid it. What you did was incredible."

A long paused. "Thank you," Nebula said softly. Tony's phone buzzed.

'get down here now'

"As for the non-human elements?"

"It was too short of a time for me to turn your planet to water," Nebula said. "I asked the Gems to protect it, not hurt it."

"Any person would tell you protecting the earth and protecting humans are different things. If anything bad happens, I'll call you. You know more about the Gems than anyone."

"Fine," Nebula said, then the communicator went off.

Tony took a few more seconds to just breathe before he went to find Rhodey. Finding Rhodey meant walking in front a giant holoscreen with the President. It also meant repeating himself again and adding more layers of lies to the ones he already told. 

Afterwards, they stayed up through most of the night waiting for updates. Lake Tight stopped growing, though satellite images of the Namibian sinkhole showed that it was getting bigger. Fortunately no one lived nearby and any nomadic communities would be warned off. The river in Death Valley was twelve feet deep and a quarter mile long. Stephen stopped its growth and agreed to remain there with Bruce. Eventually, Tony pulled Rhodey away to the penthouse for some sleep. When the next update came, Rhodey left the bed thinking Tony was asleep and went to deal with it.

"What is it?" Tony asked when he returned.

"It's stabilising." 

"It better. We're buying suits."

In the morning, Tony woke up to an empty bed. "FRI, where Rhodey?"

"Talking with Dr. Strange."

Tony let out a low whine while he stretched. "And?"

"The doctor's accelerating time around a closed off portion of the river, returning it to what it was before as test in case something worse happens."

Spending what was likely thousands of years with the Time Gem gave Stephen similar powers. "Tell Stephen to call me before he does that to anything else." Tony sat up and rubbed his eyes. 

He showered, brushed his teeth and went through Rhodey's clothes to find something wearable for him. After that, he went to the kitchen where Rhodey was going through the cabinets.

"What are you looking for?"

"Nutmeg. I couldn't have used it all yesterday."

"Go without it."

Rhodey swiveled. "Go... without... nutmeg? Me? No, help me look."

They found a single nut at the very back of the mini fridge. "What are you making anyway?" Tony asked looking at the countertop covering ingredients.

"Brunch."

"But it's not yet that tiny window of time in which you can eat brunch without looking like a douche."

"It will be when I'm done. Pepper texted by the way."

"Oh. Thanks."

Calling Pepper meant talking to some of the directors first, agreeing to an interview before the launch of the next Starkpad and a hospital visit to three firemen in New England.

"And the arc reactors?" She asked.

"I thought you were getting reports?"

"I am but the way you see things is different from anyone else."

"Probably be ready next year."

"Tony! We talked about it weeks ago, out in public, in front of our competitors."

"First, we don't have competition. It's a charity thing-"

"Maintaining the company's image costs money. I don't have to tell you that."

"Second, no one knows how to make this. It's not, no one know how to make it like me, it's no one knows period. We can take twelve years and there wouldn't be a similar product."

"So the main problem is that it's too powerful?"

"That we know of. The longer the tests go, the more problems we'll notice. Look, I'll throw out a StarkWatch design this week, alright?"

Pepper sighed. "All right," she answered softly. "How are you?"

"Mostly the same," Tony said. "Rhodey's keeping me from screwing up."

"You don't screw up anymore so he’s probably bored."

"I grew up right before your eyes."

"I'm very proud," Pepper replied dryly. "You're not leaving without your bodyguards."

"My bodyguards-"

"Boss," FRIDAY said, "there are a dozen men wanting entry into the elevators."

"Pep-"

"No! I nearly got a heart attack the last time. If you're not carrying your suits, you're taking them with you."

"Is Happy with them?"

"No," both Pepper and FRIDAY said.

Tony groaned. "You're busting my balls."

"Take care. And remember don't-"

"Go off topic during the interview," Tony finished. "Bye-bye." As soon as he was sure the call ended he said, “FRI get rid of them. Send them on an errand. Have them follow around an empty car or whatever.”

“Miss Potts made me promise not to do that.”

Tony groaned again. “Fine let them in but make sure they never know when I’m leaving.”

“Are you taking your suits?”

“I’m taking you with me. It won’t even take long.”

“Boss-“

“I’ll take them to anything that lasts longer than three hours.”

“Fine but I’ll have to tell Miss Potts about it eventually.”

“Deal.” 

Tony went back to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. "That smells delicious."

"Here, you go heathen." Rhodey removed half the steak and put it on top of a bed of salad, then placed the plate in between a cup of steaming coffee and toasted crostini. "Medium rare."

"Delicious."

"If you like blood."

Tony rolled his eyes as he took a seat and rubbed his hands. "There's no blood."

"Well if you-"

"Rhodey," FRIDAY said, "Bruce is on the line."

Rhodey turned the fire off. "Eat slowly. I'm not finished cooking."

Tony picked up a crostini and bit a tiny piece off. Garlic Herb. "FRI one day I'm going to make you a body so you can know what heaven tastes like."

"Vision has a body but no sense of taste."

"Please, he was a prototype, you're going to have a sense of everything, name it and you'll get it."

"I'll pass on that one, boss."

"That hologram has to be boring."

"I'm good."

"Your loss."

Tony took tiny bites out of the bread until they were half gone and still Rhodey did not return. He even finished his coffee. Instead FRIDAY told him that Steve was waiting outside of the penthouse.

"Let him in." Steve came in looking freshly showered. "When did you get back? An hour ago?" Steve nodded.

"Hey, Tony," Steve said, sitting at the opposite end of the table. "Bucky won't speak to me unless I apologise." Tony gave him a look. "Okay, he threatened not to speak to me."

"That's not what the look is for but as always I'm grateful for the honesty," Tony said, delicately drawing iron man on his steak with the ketchup. "I wanted to talk anyway."

"Let me go first." Steve took in a deep breath before staring into Tony's eyes. "I'm sorry I called you selfish. I just find it frustrating that you prioritise all these things alongside the team but that's not necessarily you being selfish. It's not how I imagined things would be after coming back home."

Tony looked away. "Steve, I'm not trying to start a fight here but that's not going to work," Tony said. "We argue, we say our sorries and we argue again. We need to deal with the reason why we're arguing in the first place. We need therapy."

Steve was already shaking his head before Tony finished. "I'm not getting benched for this."

"What do you mean? And for this? You want _this_ to be a thing until I'm dead and eventually you and Bucky start aging."

"Scott is still out because he agreed to therapy."

"That's just the deal _he_ made. I'm not getting you benched," Tony said. Though I probably should, he thought. The files Malcom sent Tony were disconcerting. Steve was constantly on edge and frantic when it came to Hydra. "You need it. Ba-cky is already getting it."

Steve grimaced. "I don't need a therapist to know why I'm angry."

"I'm all ears."

"I was alone and miserable and I know it doesn't sound likely but I just know if you said something about us, I would have been happier," Steve said. "You were kind to me, you were always asking me how my day was and if I needed something. I was constantly tempted to talk to you in a way I felt couldn't with anyone else. I think that's why I'm so angry. I feel... robbed."

"Oh. I was going to suggest PTSD."

"Your lie sucked but it didn't traumatise me, Tony."

"No but you woke up seventy years in the future alone. That was traumatising. Then you met me and I was probably nothing like you imagined. Then you were alone except for Natasha and, from what she told me, you guys only became close after the Hydra reveal. You were sad, angry and very hurt. Then you found out I kept from you the truth and basically avoided getting too close to you for years. Of course you're angry at me all the time."

"No, Tony, it's not... it's not... normal or rational."

"Hence PTSD."

"You didn't traumatise me!"

"I'm associated with your traumas, Steve. You wake up, I'm there. You go to SHIELD, I build their stuff. You see Bucky, you find out he killed my parents. The Accords. I survived Thanos' first attack, Bucky didn't. Steve, I might be a trigger."

Steve deflated. "I don't want that."

"I know," Tony said with sympathy. "You should see someone."

"Do you see someone now?"

"I did after Siberia."

Steve winced. "Did it help?" His voice was small.

"Yes. A lot more than you realise."

"It's why you don't look at Bucky with hate," Steve said as if he was just realising it. "It's just that I thought you were good at hiding it and I was scared that-"

"That I'll blow his new arm off. It's understandable," Tony said. "I won't lie and say there weren’t moments where I wanted to fly to Wakanda and kick his ass. When the doctor's help, I accepted what happened as much as I could thirty years later."

"Then why do you keep bringing it up? Bucky he-"

"There's a difference between accepting when he was across an ocean and dealing with it when we're supposed to be dating," Tony said coldly. The steak was starting to look like a mess.

"I get it. I'm sorry I'm jumpy about that. He's made progress and I don't want anything to get in the way of that," Steve said.

Tony cut a piece of the meat that had no ketchup. "I would probably be the same if I lost Rhodey. You want some- Rhodey you were gone for so long."

Rhodey slowed down when he caught sight of Steve. "Hey, man," he said. It was probably just imagination but Rhodey's voice sounded a little stony. Steve didn't notice, he got up to shake Rhodey's hand.

"You want some?" Rhodey asked.

"No, no, I'm good," Steve replied. Rhodey looked slightly relieved. "What are you doing later?"

Rhodey answered for Tony, "Buying suits for the Stark gala."

"Stark gala?" Steve was now looking at Tony, who hurried to explain.

"Rhodey's been promoted-"

"It hasn't been announced yet."

"-and I thought that we need to celebrate that."

Rhodey leaned on the counter near some finely chopped onions. "You don't mind, do you?"

Steve sounded like he did mind when he said, "I don't mind at all. Are the Avengers supposed to attend?"

"No, you would have gotten an invitation months ago," Rhodey replied before Tony could.

"You can come but not as an Avenger. Pepper wants to keep S.I separate from the team until the stock markets have stabilised for a while," Tony explained.

"I'll bring Bucky," Steve said. 

"You need suits, too?" Tony asked. Rhodey glared at him. "We can get them tomorrow. Let Giuliana have a heads up because, you know, the arm."

Steve nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you, Tony." Then he left.

Tony broke out into a grin. "Aww, James, want me all to yourself."

"Absolutely not, garlic breath. How do you eat garlic crostini all by- is that Iron Man?"

Brunch was rather heavy and Tony did not want to even walk the small distance to the elevator but he somehow did. Rhodey, who had eaten as much, was much perkier and talkative, walking ahead of Tony and ending up choosing the car.

"Hold on a sec." Tony tried to relieve the bloating by burping but he only almost vomited. "You know what? FRI can drive us there."

FRIDAY's driving was a little shaky but they arrived at Giuliana's boutique on Carnegie Hill in one piece. Tony collapsed on one of the stuffed sofas as soon as he got in. The unfamiliar receptionist picked up the phone and had a hushed conversation. She hardly put the phone down before Giuliana swept out of her office.

"You overate," she said sharply. "Do not ruin my bathroom. Hello, James dear."

Rhodey kissed the older woman on the cheeks. Tony dully noted that their skin tones were nearly identical. He was too bloated to do anything as Rhodey was taken to the fitting room. A few minutes later Tony sought the bathroom because he was having a burping fit. Without the sharp pain in his stomach, Tony strolled to the fitting room. There were three assistants holding up material over various parts of Rhodey's body while Giuliana stood back and made comments. Eventually, they settled on a traditional burgundy suit in iridescent fabric. With his measurements taken, it was Tony's turn.

"Same suit in purple."

Giuliana didn't bother arguing. They took Tony's measurements. "You'll come back for the fitting the day after tomorrow. Don't be late."

They got another call from Bruce on the way back. Tony arranged transport for most of Malcom's department to the Arctic which was apparently also growing. Ten minutes later, FRIDAY gave control of the car back to Tony so she could show them satellite images over the Amazon and Mau forest in Kenya. 

"A few hundred acres so far."

"Shouldn't we make sure the indigenous population don't get hurt from this?"

"Look at this," Tony enlarged the before photos, "no settlements nearby. They were driven out."

Rhodey frowned. "How do we stop them from cutting the trees again? What if the planet is healing from what we did to it? How do we stop damaging it?" He was clenching his fist as he spoke.

Tony put FRI in control again started typing on his phone furiously. "The arc reactors for starters. I was thinking of trashing the ones that blew up toasters but what if we gave them to factories instead? Also we've been working on artificial minerals for a while now."

"Why mine when you can just make them in a lab?" Rhodey said excitedly.

"And if you can't make them, buy them cheaply."

"I love you," Rhodey said, then his smile froze.

Tony looked up from the screen. "Aww," he said then he leaned into Rhodey space and made kissy sounds.

"Go away," Rhodey grumbled.

"It's so cute how shy you are," Tony said trying to poke Rhodey on the cheek.

"How old are you?" Rhodey asked slapping the hand away. "Focus on what you're doing."

"All right, buddy," Tony said. "I get it."

Rhodey narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Get what?"

"Not saying anything. Focusing on my e-ma-ils," Tony sang. Rhodey snorted.

They analysed the data from the Death Valley river the rest of the day. Rhodey identifying some of chemicals in the water. Tony left him to deal with the rock formation of the river since geology was something Tony never cared for. The most promising finding came at nine when a carcass of a desert mouse was found. Cause of death was cell damage from radiation. Oddly, hours later, when a hiker was found wandering near the water, recording it for Facebook, she was found to be healthy. Perfectly healthy, in fact. Tony thought back to Nebula's words. He asked FRIDAY to pay attention to the number of deaths on the planet that month. 

"It's definitely caused by the Gems," Stephen said on a phone call. "It doesn't feel malevolent. I don't think we should do anything to stop it unless it continues for as long as there's an Earth or there's explosion of growth." Tony agreed with him. 

At midnight, Tony and Rhodey went to sleep. FRIDAY was told to find rooms for anyone staying in the labs. They woke up at the same time in the morning and went immediately to the lab. Tony made many calls to the top physicists, radiologists, geologists, every single top scientist in the world and cleared the Tower and the Compound for them. Steve called him at some point in the day and Tony fired off a text about how busy he was. Rhodey handled the President, then he was roped into a closed meeting with Congress. Barnes came into the lab Tony was in the afternoon and Steve came an hour later.

"Is it bad?" Steve asked in a whisper.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Tony replied.

"And you have nothing to do with it?"

"How about we put you and Bucky to good use?" It wasn't a lie if you pretend to be distracted. Steve and Barnes scanned hundreds of papers lying around for FRIDAY, lifted heavy equipment, and helped organise the data. When Rhodey grew tired of talking, Steve took over after some coaching by Tony. Dr. Noel basically kept Rhodey by his station as they examined the rocks that we brought. Barnes kept giving Tony weird, unhappy looks every time Tony went to where Rhodey was.

The following days became similar to this one with focus slowly shifting to the Artic because water was one thing, ice was another. Tony almost forgot to pull Rhodey away to get their suits fitted.

"Seriously Tony?" Rhodey was tired but his eyes were gleaming.

"It'll all still be there when we get back."

"But we can't seriously go to a gala when all of this is happening?"

"Hey, as long as the world isn't ending, we can party," Tony said. "It's too bad Stephen can't look into the future anymore. The suspense is killing me."

Tony was fitted first. Rhodey whistled when he was done. Tony crossed his leg, winked and blew him a kiss. 

The next day, Tony slept in until Rhodey brought some fresh muffin into their bedroom. They ate in comfortable silence. That day Tony worked on the arc reactors with the new plan Rhodey gave him and a design for the StarkWatch to appease Pepper. Steve found him pretty early in the day but left very quickly after getting a call from Natasha. Tony said nothing about the ice and how Steve was eager not to be involved anymore. 

Five hours before the gala, Tony stopped working to take a long bath until there wasn't a hint of grease or the stench of metal on his skin. Rhodey opted for a shower and locked the shower door and made the glass walls opaque. Finally, after arguing over sunglasses, they were ready and boarding a small quinjet to fly to a mansion in Brentwood, Tennessee. 

The mansion was white and surrounded by flowery hedges that Rhodey stopped to smell. Tony was a little annoyed that the press was already there.

"Mr. Stark," one of the attendants greeted taking both of their coats.

"He's my date for the night," Tony said pointing at Rhodey while another attendant took Rhodey’s details. Security was pretty tight as far as Tony could see which meant that Pepper knew he’d leave the men she hired behind. 

The place was richly decorated with barely any traces of Pepper which made sense, she was a CEO now and CEOs don't micromanage parties. Tony got a flute of fruity champagne that Rhodey loved and took his arm.

"People are going to get the wrong idea, Tony," Rhodey said.

Tony's eyebrows were raised. "It's just alcohol, no one cares. C'mon I'm showing you off."

"Tony," Rhodey said trying to sound reluctant.

"How many generals to do they know?"

"One star general and probably plenty. Here comes Wentworth," Rhodey warned but it was too late, Wentworth blocked their path.

"Stark, General."

"Wentworth, surprised you came," Tony said. "Didn't you compare me to maggots?"

"That was years ago," Wentworth replied blithely. "Then you got my brother arrested."

"Implying he didn't try to kill Tony," Rhodey said.

"I'm just happy I don't have to deal with him anymore," Wentworth said in the same tone.

"Again, attempted murder."

Wentworth laughed loudly. "Nothing can kill, Stark."

Tony had a policy against throwing people out. He learnt it from Obadiah; if you show your anger public, later people would know who to point fingers to. In hindsight, that was a hell of a thing to say.

"Enjoy your evening," Tony said. 

"Tony," Rhodey breathed into Tony's ear, "did you look at the invite list?"

"I usually never do. We'll be fine. These things are at their best soon after an alien attack."

Wentworth turned out to be the most irritating person in the party which went smoothly. Tony introduced Rhodey to some people but they mostly walked around, pressed to each other. After a while they ended up on one of the bars and made the bartender make them weird drinks.

Tony leaned heavily on Rhodey after nearly gagging on a mixture of pickle juice and vodka. "I'm glad you're here."

Rhodey hummed still nursing his kale juice tequila. "Me too."

Tony's mouth began running because he lost his self-control when he had a shot of moonshine. "I wish you retired. Then we could be doing this all the time. Just you and me hanging out."

Rhodey stiffened. "I thought you were happy for me."

"I was. I really was," Tony said. He lifted his heavy head to look Rhodey. "I've been so happy since you came back. It's going to hurt when you leave."

Rhodey had a soft expression on his face. He got a napkin and wiped Tony's mouth. "You're lucky you don't have a speech." 

"I've made plenty of speeches drunk."

"It showed."

"I'm sure I was fully dressed in most of them," Tony said. Rhodey laughed. Tony stared at his mouth. "Your mouth is pretty." Tony lightly touched Rhodey's lips. "I'm drunk."

"So am I."

"Your mouth is so pretty."

"You're so drunk.” Rhodey imitated Tony. “I think we should go home."

"Yeah." Tony tore his eyes from Rhodey face. "Let me sign a few cheques."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with this. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter is going to be pretty intense. 
> 
> Tell me what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> I have two more long chapters planned. Tell me what you think.


End file.
